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1. Print IT. If you’ve not heard about the
co-sponsored PIA/GATF campaign to promote printing as “the Original
Information Technology”, check out www.gain.org.
The idea is to sell printing as an “integral part of the information
technology continuum.” PIA affiliates are being encouraged to join the
effort. We understand PINC in Northern California is picking up the
campaign during its Print Week. Perhaps something PPI might want to
undertake?
2. Joint PPI/Craftsmen Club meeting. The 4/17 meeting features a guest
speaker, Wayne Dalgardno, from Adobe and the Business Software Alliance (BSA).
He will talk about software licensing compliance issues and the role the
BSA plays in enforcement in Graphic Arts. You can call Judy for
reservations. Also, don’t forget that the “Gallery of Superb
Printing” banquet is coming up on May 18.
3. Right as rain. We recently finished several jobs that used “Rite in
the Rain” stock. Cool stuff! You can put it under a stream of water in
the sink and still write on it with a No. 2 pencil. And, they are a local
company, in Fife, WA. You can find more information at www.riteintherain.com.
4.
Some horn tootin’: We just completed an order of 300,000 pieces to
score, trim and fold that finished as 4-pagers (2.25 x 3.5 inches), folded
“album style.” These required a letterpress score to ensure quality.
We did the job from full-sized press sheets to rubber-banded sets of about
50, with special boxing. Now, who else in our market can do all that under
one roof?
5. Quadracci Quotes. I always enjoy reading President and Founder Harry V.
Quadracci’s missives on the Quad/Graphics site (www.qg.com).
As the largest privately held North American printer, I think he speaks
for many. This is an excerpt from a speech he gave late last year:
“Digitization has changed the art of printing to the science of
printing. The key is eliminating variables – film, chemistry, dot size,
developing time. We have moved from a business of employing tradespeople
to one of utilizing engineers and scientists...Today’s workforce
consists of general employees -- high work-ethic workers -- and knowledge
workers (who) undergo extensive classroom and on-the-job instruction,
which teaches smart people to use smart tools and technology.” We agree.
Educating our customers and workforce will be critical to our long-term
success.
6. Tip of the Week. I was interested in a comment made by a colleague at a
recent Binding Industries of America meeting. He had conducted a study in
his own plant that confirmed his suspicion that a large portion of his
employees’ time isn’t actually spent in the performance of binding
operations, but rather on non-production tasks like chasing down job
documentation, re-scheduling and tracking change orders on shipped jobs.
Of course, these schedule-delaying hiccups can be avoided with good
communication and proper paperwork. As the caboose in the production
process, we want to keep your deadline on track, so call us as early as
possible about changes.
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